Claudine Housen, Staff Reporter
Children dance to gospel music during the Joseph Project in Montego Bay, St. James. - PHOTOS BY CLAUDINE HOUSEN
WESTERN BUREAU:
SUMMER ACTIVITIES for children in Western Jamaica and the Corporate Area took a new and exciting spin, thanks to the Family Church on the Rock through its Joseph Project.
The project, which closed recently, after a two-week stretch was the brainchild of pastor David Keane, the founder of the Family Church on the Rock in Kingston. This year the programme made its first journey to the west and judging from its success, it may well become a permanent fixture in the church's calendar year.
Named from the biblical Joseph with his coat of many colours, the project explored the arts, while imparting Bible lessons to the more than 200 children who attended both locations.
"The children were very excited about it because in the past we had Vacation Bible School, which included a lot of sitting down, reading and writing, and we wanted to take the children from that area, but still include the spiritual aspect of it on a wider scale," said head of the Children's Ministry, Claudette Bryan. "Each morning they were given different aspects of Joseph's life. Spiritual truths would have been brought out that they can apply to their lives and then after they go into their different disciplines."
MEDIUM OF EXPRESSION
In Kingston Alysia Moulton, who heads the project at the church's Cassava Piece headquarters, said this is the seventh year that the project was being staged in the capital city.
Commending the department for its innovation and looking forward to next year's programme, pastor at the Montego Bay-based, Family Church on the Rock, Mrs. Joye Keane told The Gleaner that the project gave the children an opportunity to express themselves and what they have learnt through the arts.
"The Joseph Project is really an expression of the arts in dance, sign language, song, and in art and craft, where the children express themselves and what they understand about the Word of God," she said. "We understand that this is another avenue where the gospel can be preached through our children, and it is absolutely dynamic what they have come up with."
A CHILD'S PRAYER
When The Gleaner asked seven-year-old Kelsi Keane what she liked best about the project, she quickly said: "I like the dance, and I liked doing art and craft."
Kelsi added that she "learnt that you should forgive and when somebody does something you don't like, you should not do it back to him or her."
The closing presentations saw the children performing songs, dances and mimes for their parents and well-wishers.
Saying goodbye, until next summer, little Camila Parris-Campbell said prayers, asking God to make the gunmen put down their guns and go to church.
Geared towards children between the ages of four to 14, the programme facilitated children from the communities of New Ramble, Tower Hill and Moy Hall in St. James and Cassa Piece, WhiteHall Avenue and other surrounding communities in St. Andrew.
